Nothing Left But the Fall
by Glamdring804
Summary: It's been a long month of patrol on Venus, and Linvana and Telysa are looking forward to a relaxing evening back at the Tower. This is the first entry of a series focusing on Linvana and Telysa. It's also part of the collection of stories showing how the members of Dawnstar react to the Cabal invasion.


Telysa couldn't sleep.

She lay in bed, eyes wide open, her restless mind churning like a stormy sea. She stared unseeing at the indistinct grayness of their darkened quarters. Despite her sleepless state, the real world was distant and out of focus. Instead, her subconscious danced along the shifting and twisting currents of the plane just beyond perception. As an Awoken, she had always felt the subtle, incorporeal heartbeats of the universe, but she rarely noticed them. Why where they so loud now, grinding the edges of her mind, demanding her attention?

Linvana slept soundly behind her, arm draped over Telysa's side. Her breathing was steady and rhythmic. The Titan was an unusually heavy sleeper for a Guardian.

The insomnia had gotten better after she started spending nights with Linvana. Lying to rest with another human being, a lover, had given her peace and comfort. Tonight though, the restlessness returned, keeping her mind alert and active when she should have been sound asleep. It hadn't been this bad since she started dating Lin more than two years ago.

After two hours of lying wide awake, she resigned herself to the fact she wasn't going back to sleep. She gently lifted Linvana's arm and rolled out of bed.

Telysa kicked aside the wadded pile of clothes and armor on the floor. Those had weeks of Venusian mud and acid on them, and definitely needed a wash. Instead, she crossed the dark room to the wardrobe. Their quarters weren't very large, despite the fact the room was built specifically for cohabitation. Space was at a premium in the Tower, and Guardians didn't have a lot of possessions anyways. The bulk of her belongings consisted weapons and armor, items better stored in the Tower vaults.

She selected a tank top and a pair of panties from the wardrobe and carefully eased the door shut. After slipping the underwear on, she located her vest on the floor. Her engraving kit was in the inside pocket. She removed it as quietly as she could and sat down at the small workbench in the corner.

Her white auto-rifle sat on the bench beside Linvana's black Khvostov. Telysa slid on a pair of magnification glasses. She set the lights on the side as dim as they would go so she wouldn't disturb her wife. In the dark of the room though, they gave her more than enough light to work with.

Monte Carlo had always felt like a blank canvas. Form the moment Linvana gave it to her, the sleek white casing had whispered to her, asking to be decorated, to be made complete. It hadn't taken Telysa long to start engraving it.

She had worked at it on and off for the last two years. One side was already finished, etched with a swirling pattern of stars and trees, based on an ancient painting. On the other side she had decided to put a diagram of the Solar System, based on the Director map. Simple and elegant depictions of the heavenly bodies. The sun went at the base of the stock. The rest of the system would go on the barrel, with Pluto and the Kuiperoids near the muzzle.

She had finished fleshing out Jupiter during their month of patrol/honeymoon on Venus. Now she began adding the four great Galilean moons, starting with Io, the innermost one.

Telysa traced a circle below Jupiter with the blade of the etching knife. She went back along the thin line with a chisel to widen and deepen it, bit by bit. The details slowly followed, little spots for volcanoes, wavy lines to mark the plateaus.

By the time she finished the moon, warm golden light was beginning to seep around the edges of the window shade. It took her a moment to remember the sun was actually setting, not rising. They had arrived back at the Tower earlier that day, just after midday. On the eastern edge of the Aphrodite Terra on Venus though, it was still three in the morning. Interplanetary travel had one hell of a jetlag.

"Can't sleep?"

Telysa looked up. Linvana was awake on the bed, watching her.

"Sorry," Telysa apologize. "I didn't mean to disturb you." She switched off the glasses and set them down on the bench. Without their light, the orange glow of the sunset suffused the room. It made Linvana's amber eyes shine.

"It wasn't you," Linvana muttered, "I just…eh, it's nothing."

Telysa walked to the bed and sat down. She stroked Linvana's cheek and ran her fingers through her thick red hair. "You should tell me anyway."

The Titan thought for a moment. "It's just…I don't know. I can't shake the feeling something's about to happen. Like…when you knock a bottle off the table, and you're waiting for it to hit the ground and shatter…" Linvana shook her head. "I guess my brain's still in patrol mode. Nothing to keep you up at night like the threat of a Fallen ambush."

"I feel the same way," Telysa replied, "Though, to be fair, that wasn't the reason we weren't sleeping."

Linvana chuckled. "Well," she said after a moment, "Since we're both up, we might as well try to get back on City time. Wanna grab a drink?"

"Sure. Anyone else in town?"

Linvana took a moment to collect her thoughts as she threw the covers off and began searching for some underwear.

"Um, I think Elva's somewhere around, though I've barely seen her since Mercury. She spends a lot of time with the Praxic Warlocks, training with her powers. I'm pretty sure she's somewhere in the outer mountains right now."

Telysa pulled up the shades. The golden susnet spilled into the room as Linvana slid on her bra and shorts. "Anyone else?" Telysa asked.

"Brontis, Cannard, and Ulaina are still on Mars, chasing down that old journal. Damien and Mariel have a week left on their Dreadnaught deployment." Linvana found a tunic and a pair of pants and got dressed.

Telysa herself slipped on trousers and a shirt, and threw her vest on over.

"What about Dellander?" she asked.

"Dellander? Not sure. Last I heard, he was running a bounty for FWC in eastern Africa, or something like that. Don't know if he's back yet." Linvana belted her Sunbreaker's Mark on her waist, while Telysa clasped her own sky blue cloak around her neck.

Lastly, she grabbed their matching crochet scarfs. They were a wedding gift from Zavala, woven from rugged aramid yarn. Linvana's was dark red and Telysa's was dark green. Both were emplazoned with a serpent and a lion side by side. A Hunter and a Titan. Telysa draped her scarf over her shoulders, then loosely tied Linvana's around the redhead's neck.

"Well then," Telysa said, "I guess it's just the two of us. We'll call it a date?"

Linvana smiled and kissed Telysa. "Call it a date."

They exited their quarters and made their way to the Tower lifts. It was late evening, which meant a fair number of Guardians and civilians were roaming the halls.

"Some fireteam we are," Telysa mused as they walked, "There never seems to be more than half of us in one place at the same time. Maybe nine _is_ too many."

"Eh, we'll group up when we need to," Linvana replied, "We _are_ supposed to be the new Iron Lords after all."

Telysa snorted. "I don't care what Lord Saladin says. I won't be caught dead in chain-mail."

They reached the center of the floor and slipped into an open lift. Linvana selected the top level.

The two Guardians rode in silence. Telysa glanced at Linvana and smiled as the Titan picked her fingernails. Such a perfectly beautiful woman. Somehow, she was Telysa's wife. Two months later, the fact they were married _still_ amazed her.

The lift slowed to a stop and deposited them in the plaza. A stiff, chill breeze blew across the courtyard. Towering banks of clouds reared in the eastern sky, lit by the setting sun. A storm was coming.

They crossed the plaza and made their way to the hangar. The cavernous space was filled with the usual bustle, despite the evening hour. Sparks showered from jumpships parked in the maintenance bays as mechanics worked away. Frames painted in bright colors directed an incoming hawk onto one of the lifts, to be shuttled to the vehicle stores below. Telysa's and Linvana's own ships were among those being serviced.

Their destination was an old cargo shuttle tucked away in the back corner of the hangar. It sat underneath the shipwright's station, down the stairs and past the frame workshop. Nobody knew exactly how long it had been there, but over the years, several Guardians, mostly Hunters, had converted it into a saloon. Mismatched tables and couches were strewn about, along with some antique boilers for warmth and atmosphere. There was a small bar at the back with various trophies nailed to it. Music blared from a console in the corner.

"This place is always so busy," Linvana said. At least forty people, mostly Guardians, were crammed into the tiny space. Several of them were enjoying drinks, and a few were dancing to the throbbing beat.

"Did you want to go somewhere else?" Telysa asked, "We could go down to the Bebida."

"Nah," Linvana said after a moment, "We're already here. It's too late to go to the City. I'll grab us drinks if you find us somewhere to sit." She dove into the crowd without waiting for Telysa to reply and began pushing her way to the bar.

Telysa made her own way along the edge of the room, where it was less crowded. She passed a fireteam huddled around a map on the wall, which the Hunter had helpfully stabbed with his knife for some reason.

She finally found an unoccupied couch at the very back, next to one of the boilers. The light from the hatch on the side cast a warm glow through the alcove. She sat down and loosened her scarf around her neck.

Linvana approached from the bar, a flagon of ale in one hand and a glass of rice wine in the other. Telysa accepted the wine as Linvana sat down. The Titan took a long pull from her mug and draped her arm over Telysa's shoulder.

"So," she said, "I'm thinking of taking up a hobby. Any ideas?"

"A hobby?" Telysa asked, "Why would you do that?"

"Well, I need something to do in my spare time. Every time you were working on your engraving, I was just sitting there reading a book. I want to make something, or do something."

"Have you tried crochet? I've heard Titans are quite fond of it."

Linvana frowned. "Eh, I tried taking a class a while ago. Ended up turning the ball of yarn into a rat's nest. I don't think I've ever seen Zavala quite so disappointed…"

"Well that's a shame. Perhaps…blacksmithing? You are quite good at hitting stuff with hammers."

Lin laughed. "Maybe. I like hitting stuff, but I get the feeling that anything I tried making would turn into a twisted lump of metal. I guess I'm not so good with my hands. That's why I let you do the maintenance on my guns."

"What, you mean these guns?" Telysa tapped Linvana's bicep. "I think you do well enough on your own."

Linvana smiled. "How do I turn off your witty snark?"

"You could make me."

"That sounds kinky."

"You know I am."

Linvana leaned over Telysa and kissed her. "How about now?" she asked.

"That might keep me quiet for a little bit." Telysa smiled and drank a sip of her wine.

"Ooh, I know," Linvana said after a moment. "I'll be a writer! I can write books about our adventures and battles." She took another pull from her beer, obviously satisfied with her decision.

"Will you write about our breathless romance?" Telysa asked.

"Oh absolutely."

"About how I saved your life and swept you off your feet?"

"Duh, and I saved your life first, by the way."

"And the part where you stay in the back and moan about a plan while I kill everything?"

"You mean the part where you rush forward and try to steal all the glory, and then I have to bail you out every time?"

"Yeah. That bit."

"See? It's perfect. It'll make a great book. I think I'll call it…The Adventures of Linvana and Telysa."

Telysa rolled her eyes. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"Oh, and you can do better?"

Telysa sipped her wine. "I'll have to think on that one."

"You do that." Linvana took another drink and wriggled down next to Telysa. Telysa leaned her head against the Titan's muscular shoulder and watched the dancing in the middle of the room. A pair of Hunters were trying to get a Warlock onto the floor. The poor Exo couldn't keep the beat, and kept awkwardly stumbling about at random intervals.

"It's not about glory," Telysa blurted.

"Huh?" Linvana asked.

"The way I fight. It's not about the glory. Or the rewards, or the trophies. Or any of that really. It's…about sending a message."

"What do you mean? Hunters live for the fame. You're the ones who _want_ to be the big damn heroes out there."

"That's not what we're all about though, at least I'm not. You always joke about me accepting the most expensive bounties for us, the ones with the biggest payday. You gave me flack for worrying about the money when we first met. It was never about the rewards.

"The largest bounties are put on the heads of the biggest, nastiest bad-guys out there. The captains with the blood of a hundred innocents on their hands, the knights who have slain entire fireteams. I figure if we take out the worst they have to throw at us, they'll see that we're not so weak after all. They'll see that humans aren't some pathetic band of refugees huddled under a comatose god. They'll see that we're something to be _feared_."

"Huh. I never thought of it that way," Linvana said after a moment. "I always just figured if we took out their leaders, it would disrupt their chain of command. I guess I never stopped to think about the psychological aspect."

Telysa smiled. "It's all posturing. If you make a lot of noise and a bunch of big explosions, people tend to start picking on other fish."

"Well, maybe it's working," Linvana agreed, "The Fallen have vanished. The Cabal are leaderless. We've killed _two_ Hive gods. Hell, we haven't had a major crisis in nearly a year."

"We're not nearly done yet though," Telysa added, "I have no doubt we'll be fighting for centuries to come."

"Now that's just being pessimistic," Linvana said, "Yeah we have a lot of enemies, but no war can last forever. I think we're going to be just fine."

"I guess we'll find out."

They lapsed into silence, simply enjoying each other's company. The music continued to throb, washing out any other noise. It was loud and intense, yet strangely cathartic in a way. It all felt…content, in a strange way. This was a place for warmth, happiness, and companionship of friends, safe from the chaos of the outside world.

"Hey," Telysa said after a while, "do you think Dellander-"

A deafening alarm cut through the air, so loud it even drowned out the music. All motion in the lounge stopped at once.

"What's going on?" Linvana said, shouting to be heard.

Telysa's drink started vibrating in her hand. A single pulse at first, quickly followed by sustained shaking. It wasn't just her either. The entire room was trembling.

The voice of the Tower PA sounded from the entrance of the ship, barely audible over the music and alarm.

"Evacuation order seven-seven is in effect. This is not a drill. All civilians report to designated evacuation areas immediately."

Telysa and Linvana stood up. "Evacuating the Tower?" Telysa wondered. They would only do that if there was an imminent threat…

Someone finally shut off the music. With the noise gone, they could finally hear the muted rumbling that accompanied the vibrations. It came from towards the center of the Tower.

"Explosions," Linvana whispered. Telysa's stomach turned to ice. Unless some Warlock's experiment had gone horribly wrong, that could only mean one thing…

Something large and spherical crashed down the stairs across from the ship. Telysa registered black and red polygons before it split open and dissolved. Three hulking figures remained, covered in armor, massive guns in their hands.

"CABAL!" Linvana shouted. She charged over the couch and leapt onto the bar. The three Cabal opened fire as she jumped over the crowd.

The room dissolved into screams as Telysa pushed after Lin. She jumped with her feet, getting high enough to clear the crowd, and pushed her body into the Arc force. A blink later, she was standing next to Linvana.

Linvana's hand burst into flames. She threw the Hammer of Sol before it was even fully formed in her hand.

It struck the lead Cabal. Its armor disintegrated, quickly followed by its flesh. The other two staggered back from the explosion.

She summoned another hammer. One of the Cabal recovered and fired as she did. The glowing blue slug took her in the stomach. She crumpled like a sack of potatoes.

Telysa shouted and dashed forward. She yanked her knife from her belt and electrified it even as she blinked up the stairs. The electric blade melted through the legionnaire's armor.

She ripped her blade out of the corpse and spun to face the remaining Cabal. Her arm and eyes glowed blue with electricity.

The legionnaire retreated as a snarling electric wraith rushed straight towards it. Its shot grazed Telysa's leg. She ignored the pain and sliced her blade low across its body, separating the top from bottom. The two pieces burst into clouds of ionized vapor.

For a moment, the room was still again. Telysa released her Arc source and let the buzzing current dissipate.

She ran down to Linvana. The Titan's Ghost was already patching her up. Azul, Telysa's own Ghost, appeared at her side and healed the burn on her leg.

"What the hell is going on?" Linvana asked as she stood up. Behind her, the other Guardians hit by the Cabal rose as they finished their revivals. Two of the bodies didn't stir. Civilians, with no Ghost to resurrect them. A few more civilians huddled in the back. The other Guardians in the room had at least kept their wits about them and formed a protective barrier.

"We need to get them to safety," Telysa said.

"Agreed." More sounds of explosions followed, by spatters of gunfire drifted down the stairs. "First, we need to know what's happening out there," Linvana added.

They dashed up the stairs, past the remnants of the frame repair station. She tried to ignore the hand sticking out from under the debris.

The hangar was chaos. Dozens of Cabal swarmed the main floor, more arriving in those strange pods. Several civilians scrambled to reach the parked ships as a squad of combat frames fought off the Cabal. The frames were badly outmatched, and wouldn't last more than a minute or two.

Several slab-like warships lumbered through the air beyond the hangar entrance. They billowed hideous black smoke from their engines, even as they exchanged fire with the gun emplacements on the wall. Great columns of smoke already rose from the City below, even as the setting sun painted the Traveler blood red.

The City was under attack.


End file.
